Does anybody care about newspaper endorsements anymore? I don't mean us; I mean anybody

[Bossy Monkey]

I used to post every newspaper endorsement I could find, and this year couldn't raise any interest. Upon reflection, I found that this did not reflect any less interest in the political process, but more a feeling that newspapers are about as relevant as L'il Abner. Is it just me? What are your thoughts?

[virtualobserver]

1. What's a newspaper? n/t

[jmowreader]

6. It's a great big building downtown...

with a great big machine in the middle of it...

where almost all of the stories you'll find on online news sources come from.

[spanone]

11. i read news stories online days before they appear in the local rag.

[jmowreader]

17. I've read the Tennessean, dude...

It's not even good for wrapping fish or lining birdcages.

[CommonSensePLZ]

21. Something I put under my cats' litter box

"Newspapers" were once a respected business in journalism and literature that published a non-glossy magazine daily or on weekdays or weekends featuring stories of the day or week before. This was before people realized that press could equal power and they sold their souls and began manipulating the news and filling them with propaganda (and ads) with bad results so that now few remain that are still trusted and the rest aren't worth the paper they're printed on, as a result that industry is in a steep decline that it might never totally recover from, though they do still enjoy popularity as something to do on a commute.

This is due to the rise of the internet and its increasing number of portable access devices, which offer a diverse assortment of media with updates many times faster than newspapers and room for just about any literate person to become a member of the media online. And that was today's history lesson.

[texastoast]

2. Lots of people read the papers

Whether in pulp or online.

[EFerrari]

3. Voters 45 and up, yes, probably. n/t

[Dappleganger]

4. I find that most people locally are suspect of paper endorsements.

[EFerrari]

7. In some sense, that's still caring.

If I see the SF Chronicle endorsing someone, I read it to see how it fits with their somewhat rightwing agenda, especially if I don't know the candidate.

[drmeow]

20. I found the opposite

here recently. When someone asked about who to vote for, I was surprised that a few people recommended looking at the newspaper recommendations. One commented that they provide a rationale for their endorsement which helps make a decision even if you don't agree with them. It could have been that the people doing the recommending tended to accept the local paper's Republican ideology but I didn't think that was the case. The age range of the group was probably all above 35 if not even older which might be a contributing factor. It was not the response I would have given but I personally don't trust the local newspaper - although I do agree with 7/10 of their proposition endorsements.

[Naturyl]

5. Older people.

The newer generations probably don't care much. Endorsements from friends on Facebook probably mean more.

[Zephie]

8. I'm 20 and still kind of care (but I live in a county full of seniors)

yesterday I heard an ad on the radio saying the local paper endorsed Alex Sink and was thrilled - my county is largely republican. They'll probably loose a lot of readership over it. I however bought a new subscription in thanks.

...I don't know what I'll do with it though. Liner for my parrot cage I guess? Either way it made me happy.

[Prism]

9. Yes, for smaller races they can be a lifesaver.

It's very difficult to keep track of a lot of the smaller races, especially in Chicago, where people literally have to vote for every single friggin judge who ever lived. So, when I lived there, I would often read the endorsements of those publications I somewhat trusted and use them as a primer, doing further reading on my own as warranted.

They're a useful tool sometimes.

[otohara]

10. We Canceled Over Endorsements

so hell no!

[McCamy Taylor]

12. Does anyone read newspapers anymore (besides me)?

I suspect that a prerequisite for reading the paper is probably being very political to begin with...in which case you make up your own mind.

[Kolesar]

16. Some readers are drawn in by the sports coverage, then give the rest of the paper "a look"

They certainly would know what the editorial page was.

I sometimes start by reading the business page. There is usually good writing there. And the stories are quite important.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

13. I think people still respect papers' movie and restaurant reviews and such but politics...

maybe not so much. I'm always suspicious but when I see someone get endorsed by a variety of papers with typically different agendas it does catch my eye. (Though it probably just means that half the papers got double-crossed by the other candidate.)

[AndrewP]

14. Many of the papers across Minnesota endorsed Tom Horner for Governor....

...and he is about 20 points behind Dayton even with the endorsements.

I'm not so sure they mean nearly as much in 2010 as they even did in 1996 or 2000.

[earcandle]

15. I used the Bay Guardian to endorse items I didn't have time to research. They are usually cognizant

of the best way to go for our town.  Anybody else use their
picks? 

[frazzled]

18. Not for the "big" races, but for all those local things and judges, yes

I at least consult the major newspapers here to see who they've endorsed for positions like Water Reclamation Board, and why. This is way outside my knowledge base. I do, however, try to check such endorsements against of those of other groups I feel aligned with, if possible.

For judges, I usually consult at least 3 or 4 bar association ratings (Chicago Bar, Women's Bar Ass'n, Gay and Lesbian, and Latino). But we have 68--count 'em, 68--judicial retention decisions to make this year, in addition to six or eight outright judicial elections. I consulted the Tribune and the Sun Times, who advise only on the judges to be kicked out: the lists usually match, and are based on Bar Association ratings. I figure I should vote against these judges, for all the good it does.

I do read the endorsements, not because I will agree with them, but to see the reasoning. It will influence a lot of people. Even if you don't subscribe to a newspaper, people can access endorsements on the newspaper's web site. The editorial boards have interviewed each of the candidates; their reporters have been in the State Legislature and City Hall every day, and they have important input on a legislator's productivity or honesty. I'd rue the day when we didn't have newspaper endorsements, like them or not.

The Tribune is a Republican paper and always endorses Republicans for the presidency and (I think) senate. But for state and local and county races, they tend to go for many many Democrats. I believe the process is moderately honest.

[gatorboy]

19. Yes, they're still relevant (And I'm saying that not just because I'm in the paper business)

It may be considered the "old media" but good majority of senior citizens still use newspapers to get their information and as we know, they vote.